My name is Lisa Burt and I’m a solopreneur coach having recently started Lisa Burt Coaching, more about becoming a solopreneur later in this blog.
I live in Durham in the North East of England with my husband Cris and my cockapoo puppy Marler, a gorgeous boy as you can see from the photo. My kids are grown up and live with their partners and I have a wonderful grandson.
I have had a successful career in the corporate world for over 35 years, working in the water industry for 29 years and for a financial service organisation for 8 years. I have lead incredibly successful customer service, technical services and people services operations teams, all of which I have loved.
This time last year, November 2023, I was working at the financial services organisation, working within the technology function as a digital product owner. I had a successful career, I was well respected, had an excellent reputation for getting things done, I was valued and had a fantastic salary what more could I want?
Like many women, my career, my reputation, the salary were all the result of my huge commitment to and focus on work and achieving. I worked long hours, travelled a lot, experienced stress, anxiety and sleepless nights. Mix all of those factors up with being menopausal and it’s fair to say my physical and mental wellbeing were not in the best place.
My husband works away from home during the week, when we would speak I would be in tears about work stress, my sense of failure and of being overwhelmed. The stress and pressure were primarily self-inflicted, the harder and longer I worked, the more tired and stressed I got and the more I felt like I was failing, I was in a vicious cycle that I needed to break.
In July 2022 an ex-colleague and friend who has a successful leadership development business asked me to do some associate work for them, supporting and facilitating workshops. I jumped at the opportunity. I love helping others to develop and grow as well as facilitating training workshops so this was a no brainer for me.
Needless to say I loved every minute. I felt I had purpose again and this sparked the thought process about leaving my corporate role and pivoting into an alternative career where I could balance work and life more readily. I certainly wasn’t ready to retire or stop working but wanted to be able to breath and enjoy life again.
With some downtime in Crete, the space to think and the time to discuss the future with Cris, we agreed that I should take the leap of faith and leave my corporate role. We’ve always been open to taking risks with the philosophy that if the path we have chosen doesn’t work out, there will always be a way forward.
I’m lucky to have a supportive husband who believes in me and what I can achieve even when I doubt myself.
Preparing for my new career I undertook the Chartered Management Institute level 7 certification in leadership coaching and mentoring course which was a blend of theory and coaching practice. My cohort was a mix of individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and organisations that enabled us to learn, share and support each other through our learning journey. It was a great experience, challenging, rewarding and an opportunity to grow and develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities needed as a coach.
On 2 January 2024, I attempted to resign from my role. I say attempted as there was some protracted discussions with my employer about whether this was the right decision for me or whether I was reacting to what had been a difficult 2023 and they were keen to retain me for which I am forever grateful. However after a couple of weeks back and forth, I kept coming back to the same point that I wanted to leave, take a chance on starting my own business and my resignation was accepted.
When news broke that I was leaving, many people asked if I was leaving for a bigger and better role and were shocked when I told them I was leaving to start my own business. I was even asked if I was retiring to which I answered, ‘hell no I’ve got to much still to do and to give.’ People thought I was mad, living vicariously giving up a permanent, well paid role, and successful career to start my own business and there were times when I questioned my decision wondering whether they were all right and I had gotten it wrong.
My final day in my corporate role was 28 March 2024. My intention had been to take a couple of weeks out to rest and recharge, however, that turned into a couple of months of rest and recharge coupled with getting Marler and for anyone who has had a puppy you will appreciate they take up a lot of time. To be honest, I needed that time to work on who Lisa was and what she really wanted.
It hasn’t been an easy transition from associating my identity to the role I filled, the professional persona and career achievements and getting to the point where I can readily identify and say I am Lisa Burt, I am a change and transition coach. I’ve engaged the support of coaches to help me with the transition when needed, reinforcing my belief that coaching is hugely beneficial for everyone and both the time and money invested in coaching is valuable and transformational.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride since I set up Lisa Burt Coaching but I’ve got to meet some amazing, inspirational people through networking and attending various events. Who knew there were so many different solopreneurs and small business owners with their own unique service or product offerings, many of whom are women?
I’ve surrounded myself with trusted people and connections who have helped me put the foundations of my business in place, challenged my thinking and helped me to shape my business.
At times it has felt like I am continually paying out money with very little if any income to the business. I’ve felt frustrated by what seems like a lack of progress and success and at times I have been tempted to take the easy option of contacting my old manager to ask if I could return or applying for a new role elsewhere. On these occasions I have stopped, reminded myself that I am making progress and whilst the hyper-achiever in me wants results now, I need to be patient, to focus on why I made the decision to make the pivot and refocus on the next steps towards my goals.
I have heard from many other solopreneurs and business owners that it takes time to build a business. It’s slow in the first year and often in the second. You just have to keep pushing and looking for the first client, the first opening and from there it will start to build momentum. I have to say I am starting to see some movement in the right direction, not directly in coaching but with other services and opportunities that have presented in the last few weeks.
I am told by other seasoned coaches that I couldn’t have picked a tougher year to start a coaching business, the change of government, the economic uncertainties in the UK and globally along with all of the other adversities we have seen this year are making it difficult for all, even the most experienced coaches.
I’ve accepted that 2024 is the year I will make no money. It is the year I am putting the foundations in place for Lisa Burt Coaching to build upon in 2025, working towards achieving both my business and personal goals.
Do I have regrets?
Absolutely not, despite the ups and downs, I wouldn’t change this year. I have made many new friends, grown my network, learnt a lot about myself and others, achieved lots of small steps and milestones always moving one step closer towards my goals for Lisa Burt Coaching. 2024 has been a good year!
If you would like to learn more about me and Lisa Burt Coaching, you can view my website https://www.lisaburt.co.uk
Find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-burt-coaching
Or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisaburtcoaching?igsh=Y2J1OGp5NmpsYTNm
Feel free to drop me a message to organise a call if you like what you see and think I might be a good fit for you as your coach as we head into 2025.